National Disability Insurance Scheme
The National Disability Insurance Scheme, also known as the NDIS, is the new national system of support for people with disability including mental illness. It is a new way of providing individualised support for people with permanent and significant disability, their families and carers.
The NDIS will be run by the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA). The Agency will work with participants, their families and carers to assess eligibility for the scheme and to work with participants to develop support plans to meet their needs. Funding packages provided through the NDIS will assist participants to achieve their goals by choosing the services most important to them. The NDIA will establish Information, Linkages and Capacity Building arrangements to support people who have been in receipt of state-based specialist disability supports but are not eligible for the NDIS. The Information, Linkages and Capacity Building supports will facilitate the child/young person to transition to alternative arrangements over time.
NSW Health and the Sydney Children’s Hospitals Network is working closely with the NDIA to ensure that our patients, their families and carers can make the most of the opportunities and services available through the NDIS.
The NDIS has been rolled out across New South Wales in stages, with full implementation to be completed by 1 July 2018.
The NDIS was implemented across Western Sydney from 1 July 2016 and has become available in the South Eastern Sydney district since July 2017. The NDIS' first priority is to transition all children who were previously receiving support from state-based specialist disability support across the state.
The Sydney Children’s Hospitals Network cannot provide NDIS funding or packages, all applications must be made through the National Disability Insurance Agency. However, staff at the Sydney Children’s Hospitals can provide information and advice to help you apply and understand the scheme.
Like more information?
- Visit the NDIS website, or call 1800 800 110
- Email us at The Sydney Children's Hospitals Network
Application and planning process
The National Disability Insurance Agency have released many useful resources to assist parents/carers through the application and planning phase. For more information see:
- General information about the NDIS and the process
- Accessing the NDIS
- NDIS and Helping Children with Autism & Better Start funding
- The planning process
- Implementing your plan once it is approved
- Plan review and what to do if you are unhappy with the plan
- NDIS and family supports
NDIS and children: Early intervention and therapy
Children under 7 years of age requiring early intervention and therapy may be eligible for funding under the NDIS scheme. The early intervention and therapy is intended to benefit children with a disability or developmental delay when there is evidence showing early support will reduce the impact of their disability and will benefit the child.
Like more information?
View the Early Intervention and Therapy Factsheet
NDIS and cognitive impairment
Cognitive impairment refers to a wide range of disorders affecting cognitive functioning. These include: intellectual disability; acquired brain injury and foetal alcohol spectrum disorders. An individual may be eligible to become a participant of the NDIS where cognitive impairment affects their ability to participate at home, at school, at work and/or in social situations.
Like more information?
View the NDIS and Cognitive Impairment Factsheet
NDIS and mental health
The NDIS provides support and services for children and young people with mental illnesses that are likely to be permanent, affects their ability to take part in activities of daily living without support from others and is likely to require assistance from the NDIS over their lifetime.
Like more information?
View the NDIS and Mental Health Factsheet
NDIS and assistive technology
Eligible participants can receive assistive technology through the NDIS. This includes reasonable and necessary aids and equipment, prosthetics and orthotics, home modifications and routine, non-clinical home care. Where care is essential for the support of a person living in the community, the NDIS can arrange clinically trained staff to assist with tasks such as catheter changes and skin integrity checks.